tundra

noun

ˈtən-drə How to pronounce tundra (audio)
Definition of tundranext
as in prairie
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country a report on the arctic tundra of Alaska and the polar bears that inhabit that vast, frozen plain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tundra Up here, on the tundra of Alaska’s North Slope, the summer sun dances in an unending ellipse. — Jordan McGillis, Washington Post, 18 July 2026 Its engineers pulled crude from beneath deserts, oceans and frozen tundra. — Mia Gindis, Fortune, 9 July 2026 The same week of sky that delivers the aurora is also delivering polar bears on the tundra and beluga whales in the estuary. — Cody Chomiak, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tundra
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tundra
  1. prairie
  2. steppe
  3. plain
  4. grassland
  5. savanna
Noun
  • In place of herds of bison thundering across the prairie, there were piles of bones a story high and as much as a hundred feet long.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • On her 43 acres of woods and reclaimed native prairie in rural Tazewell County, Katie VandenBerg walked the edge of her property, inspecting a line of oaks bordered by miles of corn and soybean fields.
    — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • The unification of the Eurasian steppes under Genghis Khan and his successors—Ögödei, Möngke, and Kublai Khan—brought many of these trade routes under a single political authority for the first time.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • With its views of a stratovolcano, glaciers, old-growth forests, alpine habitats, and a mix of mountain and steppe landscapes, the Chinook Scenic Byway more than fulfills that brief.
    — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of steppe
Noun
  • That’s what pulled me to the plains of north-central Spain last week.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Harry and Meghan’s children even chose the color of their elephants’ collars, which will help the organization track them across the plains of northern Botswana.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of plain
Noun
  • Rather than building on barren deserts, developers often claimed rich grasslands and farms, replacing vital bird habitats with concrete and glass.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Towering mountains, gnarly canyons, expansive grasslands and deep forests.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic savanna in this new image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • And South Sudan's first World Heritage site, the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape, protects a vast sweep of savanna, wetlands, and floodplains crossed by one of the world's largest terrestrial mammal migrations.
    — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of savanna

Browse Nearby Words

tun
tundra
tundras
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tundra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tundra. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tundra

Nglish: Translation of tundra for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tundra

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All